The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-09
The REVENUE REFOR NERS
WRITE A VERY STRONG LETTER
TO MR.. CARLISLE
Censuring Him for not Recognizing
Them in Their Efforts TO Repeal
the Tobacco Tax.
THEY ALSO ADDRESS HIM A
COMMUNICATION
In Answer to His Letter Returning
the Substitute Bin, Of Which
They Had Great Hopes.

WARRINGTON, February S.-The fol-
lowing letter was today sent to Speaker
Carlisle:
WAsHISGToS, February 8.
The Hon, j. G. Carlisle, Speaker Of the
House Of Re pret en- ntatiVes:
DEAR SIR-We regret exceedingly
that you could not see your way clear
to give recognition yesterday to
some Democrat to enable MIN to move
to suspend the rules, for the purpose
of giving the House an opportunity OF
considering the question of the total
repeal of the internal revenue tax on
tobacco. Your refusal to give this
recognition, together with your letter
of the 9Th instant, deserve more
than passing notice. II tTothirds
or more of the House are in
favor OF such repeal, it was grave
- responsibility for you to oppose such a
large majority of the representatives
of the people. Assuming, however,
for the sake Of the argument, that the
friends Of the proposition constitute a
less number than two-thirds, their
strength is certainly such that they
ought to have been permitted to test
the sense OF the House upon the ques-
ton, especially since the country is
watching with intense interest the
action OF the House in respect thereto,
and the constituents OF large num-
Der OF the membe OF the House have
been urging them to obtain,
if possible, consideration Of
this subject. We do not wish
to be misunderstood. We earnestly
desired, from party standpoint, that
recognition should have been given to
a Democrat to make the motion, but
we would vote cheerfully for the
proposition, whether made bv q
Democrat or by Republican. You
assume in your letter to us that we
ignored your communication OF the Sd
instant, and had deliberately failed to
make responle thereto. Our friends
did not have an opportunity of con-
sidering that communication until
Fiday evening, the 4th instant. 1t
was OF such character as to require
more than a formal reply. We called
at your hotel the next day, Satur-
day, but through no fault
of ours, we did not succeed in
obtaining an interview until the day
after. We believed that the friends OF
the repeal OF the tobacco tax were
30 strong in the House that we would
Fave to the oppressed taxpayers OF
this country an annual reduction of
Taxation to the extent OF $28, ,000, 900,
If the motion for repeal could be made
in the Houss on Monday OF this week,
the la est day when such motion, to
be effective under the rules, would be
in order during the Forty-pinth Con-
gress. The motion, If made during
the last Elk days of the session, would
almost certainly be too late to Sc
cure favorable consideration for the
question in the Senate. We did not
anticipate refusal of recognition for
the purpose intended. We under
stood you to say to US verbally that il
you gave to any one Of our friends the
desired recognition fair play all around
would require you to give other Dsm-
ocrats an opportunity to make like
motion to pass some distinct PROPOSE
tion having relation to a reduction of
the tariff duties. To this we sssented.
You instanced as one such proposition
the putting Of salt on the free list. We
think that revision Of the tariff and
of the internal revenue laws can
be attained from time to time
by reforming the obvious and greater
grievances oi the two systems
and that we should not refuse to make
such reforms because sweeping changes
have not been practicable. The coun-
try is expecting to obtain from this
Congress relief from the grievous bur.
dens OF taxation, II some of US can
not get all we want We should take
what we can get. Our sipgle propo-
sition for the repeal OF the tax on to-
bacco was not intended and cannot be
fairly construed as intending to ex-
clude from the consideration of the
House "all other measures for the re.
duction of taxation" We wished to
obtain consideration for that PROPOSE
tion, but we were not pressing for the
reduction of the internal revenue taxes
to the exclusion Of other measures for
theIevision and reduction of the tariff.
A Democratic caucus cannot success
fully deal with "the whole subject OF
the revenue reduction" at this late
stage Of the session. That suggestion
came too late. II the caucus could
have controlled the legislation of the
Forty-ninth Congress from the begin
ming, the country might be better off.
Ii the House was considered compe.
tent to deal with the silver question,
with the pension question and with
the oleomarganne question, free from
the dictation Of a Democratic caucus,
We think it ought to be competent to
deal with the question OF a re-
duct on of taxation. The caucus
ought not now to be invoked to
justify a,policy OF delay aud non-action
on this subject. We sincerely hope
with you, f'thst some plan may vet be
devised which will enable the House
to consider the whole subject of reve-
nue. reduction and revision" in q
spirit OF fairness to all interests, aud
in accordance with the letter and
spirit Of the platform OF the National
Democratic party adopted at the con-
vention held at Chicsgo in the year
1884, Snd we assure you that we are
ready to meet any of our Democratic
associates who are prepared to treat
with ua on such basis.
JOHN &. HENDERSON,